Review article

Education is a Moral Concept

Maja Žitinski

Abstract

All knowledge is informative, but education is not there only to take part simply in reflecting social values. Education predominantly refers to the initiation into what is worthwhile with the provision that the transmitted content will be taught in a morally unobjectionable way. That is, education must involve some normative aspects, which can give it a purpose, ensuring that the involved parties will preserve the moral autonomy of the involved agents. Therefore education is a sort of communication that defines the role of individual in a particular society. The paper draws a clear division between coercive aspect of education, and moral aspect of education. In order to develop rationality and avoid partial and hence repressive social influences, education should enhance personal integrity and challenge the student’s independent mind. Since education and indoctrination cannot be distinguished by their methods, they must be distinguished by their aims. Education needs to maintain the approach to combat the indoctrinators’ attempts to control the knowledge production systems in a way, which serves their interests as distinct from the public’s.

Keywords

civil education; word equality; moral equality; impartiality; rationality; intrinsic values; instrumental benefit; ideology-liberty

Hrčak ID:

8100

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/8100

Publication date:

26.10.2006.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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